Business Ideas | Small Business Ideas: Start Your Own Raspberry Farming Business | Growing Raspberries to Earn Money

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Start Your Own Raspberry Farming Business | Growing Raspberries to Earn Money | Growing Raspberries

The raspberry is the edible fruit of a multitude of plant species in the genus Rubus of the rose family, most of which are in the subgenus Idaeobatus; the name also applies to these plants themselves. Raspberries are perennial with woody stems.

Raspberries are an important commercial fruit crop, widely grown in all temperate regions of the world.

Many of the most important modern commercial red raspberry cultivars derive from hybrids between R. idaeus and R. strigosus.(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Raspberries is a favorite main ingredient for many food preparation and product and using them needs a lot of them.

The potential of growing this fruit for money-making purpose is great. Read on and learn how.

Just imagine this: $4.25 for a box of berries is not enough to make you half a pie thus there is a need for sure to buy several boxes. Make this as a hypothetical foundation on how you can make a profitable business out of growing raspberries. What this would amount to is the tremendous demand and sales for raspberries which any business-minded individual out there will sure grab for the taking. And what this taking means is planting raspberries for profit.

Now if you are the person who is interested in growing raspberries and knows the potential of this farming business, the tips on planting raspberries for profit below will help you put yourself in the right footing.

Things to Know While Planting Raspberries for Profit

One of the basic foundation of any business venture especially if it is about farming is knowing the crop or plant you are growing. In this regards, it is important for you to grow your raspberries in a suitable location. This means the land which your raspberries should grow ought to be rich in organic compounds and sandy in nature. It is also important to make sure that your raspberries should get ample sunlight as they grow. Another tip about growing this in-demand fruit is that your location for it should not be in a low lying area where there is a possibility that water clogging can happen in the farm during spring. Also, do not attempt to plant your raspberries in a crest of a hill. The reason for this is to avoid the plant getting affected by too much wind.

Make Money in Growing Raspberries

If all is done regarding the production and farming side of the growing raspberries, the next step or task that should be given attention to is how to dispose and make money out of them as easily as possible.

There are various ways wherein you can approach this task. First you have the option to sell it right before your home and advertising it through leaflets in your community. This is a simple step. The next one is getting involved in farm markets wherein various crops and vegetables and fruits are being sold in a certain location. You can exploit this second option since customers is sure to approach you in this situation.

How to Become a raspberry farmer

Becoming a raspberry farmer involves having a detailed understanding of the agricultural industry, including land and soil requirements for growing raspberries, the use of various types of farming equipment, cultivation, care, harvesting and processing of fruits, storage of raspberries and market sale and transfer specifications. Becoming a raspberry farmer can be approached as a business startup operation, or as an addition to an existing farming business.

Step 1

Secure funding necessary to launch your operation. If you don't already own farm land, equipment, vehicles and buildings, this step is similar to starting any small business, which involves creation of a business plan and applying for a small business loan. If you are already in the farming business and are adding raspberries as a crop, funding will be needed to buy raspberry plants, fertilizers and chemicals specific to raspberry growing.

Step 2

Secure necessary business licenses and land-use permits required in your area. Visit your local city or county business licensing department or cooperative extensive service to learn about specific requirements.

Step 3

Develop a marketing plan. Raspberry plants generally do not produce fruit for at last two years after planting. Decide what you will do with the fruit after harvesting, such as selling it to a grocery distributor or processing and selling the raspberries yourself. Additional health department oversight or certification many required, depending on the scope of your operation and the intended use of your product.

Step 4

Purchase necessary equipment, including trellises, digging, pruning and hedging tools. For a large operation, consider ground-tilling equipment. Raspberries are a fast-perishing fruit that are typically kept fresh for three to seven days in refrigerated conditions. As such, advance planning is necessary for quickly harvesting, storing and transporting fruits to their intended destination.

Step 5

Find a reputable nursery or raspberry grower to purchase plants from. There are many raspberry varieties available and a knowledgeable agricultural nursery or state agriculture department can help you determine the best varieties for growing in your climate and soil type.

Step 6

Educate yourself about insect and disease management in raspberry plants. Different strains of raspberry are susceptible to various forms of fungus that can destroy fruit. Information can be found through your state department of agriculture or local extension office.

Step 7

Hire and train employees, if necessary.

Things Needed

Startup funding
Land
Farm equipment
Raspberry plants
Business license

References (3)

Resources (2)

About the Author

Lisa McQuerrey has been a business writer since 1987. In 1994, she launched a full-service marketing and communications firm. McQuerrey's work has garnered awards from the U.S. Small Business Administration, the International Association of Business Communicators and the Associated Press. She is also the author of several nonfiction trade publications, and, in 2012, had her first young-adult novel published by Glass Page Books.

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1 comment:

Growing RaspberriesJanuary 16, 2014 at 1:43 AM
Growing Raspberries, Growing Raspberries to Earn Money, Raspberry Farm, Raspberry Farming Business, Start Your Own Raspberry Farming Business
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Easy Tips and Ideas to Start Business

Although anyone can start a business, many people fail because of a bad product or improper research. If you want to start your own business, you can improve your chances for success before you even begin. In order to make your business successful, start strong and make sure that your idea will hold out for the long haul.

Have a Good Product

Ensure that you plan to sell something useful. Although you may think that your product is important or special, that doesn't mean the general public will agree. Ask friends, family and strangers what they think of your product. If they don't seem that interested, ask them why. With their suggestions, you can either improve the product or scrap the idea completely. According to Brad Sugars of Entrepreneur magazine, most small businesses fail because they sold a product that didn't have an adequate market. This also applies to small businesses that provide a service. A lawn-care business might be useful for part of the year in a northern state, but it is in-demand year-round in the south. Consider whether people will actually want to use your service and get constructive advice from those not afraid to give their opinion.

Research Local Businesses

Research local companies before starting up your own business. This will not only give you an idea of the amount of competition you will have, but it will also help you price your product or service. If you're looking to start a wedding photography business, you may find during your research that the market is over-saturated in your area. If not over-saturated, you should contact each business and ask them for a price list. Alter your prices so you can stay competitive with the competition in town. Researching similar local businesses will also help you decide where to locate your business location. Try not to start up a store or office close to another business of your type. If your small business is located away from similar business types, this will cause locals to choose you over businesses that are farther away from where they live.

Get Professional Advice

You may know someone who has started their own successful business. Ask him for advice and listen to his stories of how he started his company. You may gain useful advice on the good and bad ways to start a business. Local entrepreneurs can also introduce you to local product providers or advertisers that you may not have met without their help. Accept any advice with open arms, especially if the advice is coming from someone successful in the area.

How to Calculate Business Start Up Costs

Starting a business in no easy endeavor. It takes a great deal of research, perseverance and hard work. While sweat equity will make your small business more successful, you will most likely need real capital to get the business started. Before you start raising capital and/or investing your own funds, the first thing you need to do is determine the total start-up costs.

Step 1

Determine your costs of sales. For most small businesses this means inventory, the cost of raw materials, manufacturing equipment, shipping, packaging, and warehousing. However, not all businesses sell products. In this case, the cost of sales is primarily the direct labor involved in making the sale. For example, to open a small shoe business entails purchasing enough inventory ($10,000) to stock the store.

Step 2

Determine professional fees. Planning your business structure, i.e., limited liability corporation or general partnership, means hiring an attorney. There may also be the need to pay an attorney for help with establishing trademarks, copyrights, and patents. In this scenario, that puts total professional fees at an estimated $20,000.

Step 3

Determine technology costs. Technology can greatly reduce the cost of labor for small business if used effectively. Most small businesses require computers, printers, cell phones, website development, Internet access, software applications, information security, data storage, and outsourced information technology (IT) consulting. If the cost of technology is $10,000 to start, add an additional $5,000 a year for maintenance (hint: maintenance is not included in start-up costs).

Step 4

Determine administrative costs. This varies with business types and may include items such as business insurance, office supplies, product packaging, parking, rent, express shipping, desks, chairs, fax machines, phones, or anything else necessary to operate the business daily. A good estimate for start-up administrative costs would be $5,000 for the first six months.

Step 5

Determine initial sales and marketing costs. Now that you have your product, you need to let folks know about it. Sales and marketing costs generally include marketing materials for presentations, printing stationery, business cards, advertising, trade show events, and public relations. These initial sales and marketing costs can add up to $3,000.

Step 6

Determine the wages and benefits needed to secure a staff. This includes employee salaries, benefits, workers compensation, and payroll taxes. Let's put the cost of wages and benefits estimated at $20,000 for the first three months of business.

Step 7

Add all costs associated with starting the business for a total. Be sure to only include business start-up costs that will be incurred in the first three to six months of operations. For this example, the calculation is: $10,000 + $20,000 + $10,000 + $5,000 + $3,000 + $20,000 = $68,000.

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